Severa laughed, “You think you can get rid of me that easily? You have done bad things. You have a dark past. So what? You are mine, Everet. I will go anywhere with you. I will face kings or young boys who want to avenge their parents. Whatever comes, I am with you.”
Everet felt a tingle go down his spine. His worse fear had been when he revealed his darkness to Severa was that she would hate the monster and leave him. Now that he knew she was with him, he could face his fears, he could fight his demons and live. He no longer felt that driving urge for power that had driven him to lie, steal, and murder in the name of power. Now he would lie, steal, and murder in the name of love. It was a small change but an interesting one. Everet prodded his horse on. “Okay, my love, let us see what the future has in store for us.”
9
Pailtar
KIANA HANDED HER grades sheet to her mother. She had just gotten home from the school and as she had expected both her parents were eagerly waiting to hear how she did.
Lilliana inspected the list. Kiana had passed Guild laws, Lilliana had expected that. They spent a lot of time going over the Guild rules, despite Kiana’s protests. A one in Applied Magic was also a given. Kiana had been stubborn as a mule about wanting to be a traditional thief. Lilliana had let the girl have her way on that one. Sometimes it was easier to just let her muddle her way through things and learn the hard way. The three fours were impressive. Lilliana had anticipated she might get a couple of them. The grading scale went from one to five, one meant little skill and five was a mastery of a skill. Getting fours signified that Kiana was already an accomplished thief in pickpocketing, cat burglary and sneak, three of the most important skills for any thief. Lilliana was proud of her daughter, she had done exceptionally well. Lilliana did raise her eyebrow when she saw a three in hand to hand. Lilliana handed her husband the list and then she questioned Kiana about it, “Hand to hand?”
Kiana groaned, “Stupid boys. I was fine, but then this one jerk was winking at me. Then, as we walked to the gym, another started talking to his friend about how he hoped he would get to wrestle with one of the girls,” vented Kiana.
Lilliana laughed, she knew exactly how Kiana would react to that statement. “Let me guess, you ended up wrestling with the one who thought it would be funny to wrestle a girl.”
“Yep,” said Kiana with a sigh of regret.
“Well, I hope you didn’t hurt him too bad. It doesn’t pay to make enemies on your first day of school.”
“I followed the rules. No broken bones and no hitting the face. If he has some bruised and cracked ribs, it’s not my fault. He’s the one who asked for it.” Kiana halfheartedly defended herself. She knew it had been a mistake to let her emotions get involved, but the boy was such an ass.
“Well, there is no point worrying about it. So have you thought about which courses you are going to apply for? Are you still wanting to avoid magic or have you changed your mind? You would have to do the first year courses, which are pretty elementary. But it wouldn’t hurt,” asked Lilliana.
“I’m not sure about which courses to take. But yes, I now want to learn magic. You were right … there I said it,” said Kiana in frustration. She didn’t like having to admit she had been wrong, ever!
“It’s not about being right, darling. It’s about what will make you the best at your craft. You have done a wonderful job learning the basics of being a great thief, but if you truly want to master your craft, you will need to learn magic. I’m just glad you have decided to embrace your studies now while you have the Guild classes at your disposal. The instructors there will be able to help you more than I can. But I will certainly help you at home as well. I’m sure by the end of the year we can get you up to a respectable level of magic skills. No more needing to breathe heavy on scorpions to get them to leave you alone.”
Kiana groaned loudly, she was never going to live that one down.
“Well in that case, I was thinking I would probably choose illusions and applied magic for my two courses. You can teach me the basics of telekinesis at home and I will do that course next year. I would like to take the advanced sneak and cat burglary courses, but I can’t afford for them to not give me a magic class. I’ll pick magic classes and take my chances with the mandatory ones.”
“That sounds like a very wise choice, Kiana, and just so you know, we are both very proud of you. You did a great job on your tests, the physical and written ones. Your hard studies have paid off.”
Kiana’s father nodded his head in agreement, he had no clue what the number grades on her “report card” meant, but from the way the girls were talking she had done well, really well. “I will always be proud of you, dear, whatever career you chose. You are a great daughter … did you really beat up a boy in your first day of school?”
Kiana sheepishly nodded.
Spencer smiled brightly and hugged her. “Good for you! That will teach those boys not to mess with my daughter.”
They all laughed, and then Lilliana looked at Kiana, “Are you ready for the team assignment tomorrow?”
Kiana’s smile disappeared. “No, why didn’t you tell me that I would have to do a team assignment?” she demanded to know.
“Would it have made any difference? All you would have done was stress about it. You know about it now, and now we can discuss it.”
It was true, there was nothing she could do about it, and she would have stressed about it for sure. Once again, Kiana conceded that her mother was right. This was becoming an alarming pattern lately. Was she growing up? Or was her mother just on a lucky streak of being right lately … hard to say, Kiana decided. “So what is so special about this assignment anyways? Aldwin, my teammate, told me a little about it.”
“Aldwin? Aldwin Appleton is still trying to get into the Guild? Good, he is a sweet man who had terrible luck. He was on his second try when I joined the Guild. Tell him I said hello. As for the assignment, the Guild doesn’t want apprentices who are all about themselves. We are a community of thieves. If there is no level of trust between us then things fall into chaos. Kings would happily destroy the Guild if they could. But the Guild is powerful and as long as it pays its taxes, the rulers of the cities play nice,” said Lilliana.
“Okay, that makes sense I suppose. How difficult are the assignments?” asked Kiana.
“Well, considering you have survived scorpions, lions, and being chased by army scouts, how bad can it be?”
Kiana was afraid her mom would say that.
10
Balta
WITH TREPIDATION, NATHAN accepted the message. The last time a messenger arrived at his aunt’s doorstep he ended up going off chasing missing mages. Nathan broke the wax seal and opened the note.
Nathan Stoneblood
The last time I wrote, I warned you of a spy in the royal court. That information has made it back to King Ganus and people have died as a result. My position has been compromised by this information, as has the life of someone I care for deeply. Your actions have resulted in her being endangered, thus I am bringing her to Balta for her own safety. Also, it is my intent to find out who your spy is. Obviously, your king is trusting the wrong people.
This messenger is instructed to meet me, once he has received a reply from you. I beg of you, this time keep the knowledge I have provided you closer. Ganus is not going to stop until he rules all of Mithbea.
Duke E.
The messenger stood silently at the door. He looked like he had been riding nonstop for days.
“You came from Morthon?” asked Nathan.
The messenger nodded. “Yes, I was paid to deliver this message to you. I was paid very well to get here as soon as possible. The man said he’d give me an even bigger reward if I delivered your reply. You are going to give him a reply?”
Nathan could hear the eagerness in the man’s voice. Duke Evollant had indeed paid him well. And the promise of another big payday was keeping the messenger on task.
“I’ll be b
ack in a few minutes with a reply if you don’t mind waiting out here.”
The messenger smiled and rubbed his hands together. “I would be glad to wait. Please remember to use a wax seal. I wouldn’t want my employer questioning my loyalty.”
Nathan closed the door and left the messenger waiting outside. Walking to his room to get parchment and pen, Nathan thought about Duke Evollan. The last time Duke Evollan sent him a message it had surprised Nathan. He had wrestled with his emotions about trusting the man he hated most in life. When the duke’s words were proven to be true it had confused Nathan. Should he be grateful for the help or continue to hate the man who had caused Nathan so much suffering? Today was different. Today he still felt some anger towards the duke, but the duke, although an enemy, was helping them while someone in the court, someone the king trusted, was spying for Ganus. The politics of war were complicated.
“What’s going on, Nathan? Your emotions are all over the place.” Ava was sensing Nathan’s thoughts.
“I received another message from Duke Evollan,” replied Nathan.
“I’ll be home in a few minutes. Is Avera there?”
“No, she went to get Rose from school.”
“Don’t do anything foolish. I’ll be right there.”
“It’s okay, Ava, I’m not going to do anything crazy. I’ll explain when you and Ava are back. We all need to have a talk.”
When Aunt Avera and Rose returned from school, Nathan and Ava were in the living room waiting for them.
From the look on their faces, Avera knew something was troubling them. “Rose, why don’t you head to the kitchen and fix yourself a snack, I need to speak to Nathan and Ava.”
Rose groaned, “I always get left out of the big people conversations. I’m not that young.”
Avera looked at the young girl, she had been through a lot and was mature for her age, but the longer she could maintain a semblance of an innocent childhood the better. Too soon she would have to enter the adult world. “I know you are, my dear, but I’m not ready for you to join our conversations just yet. You would give me too many gray hairs if you joined Nathan and Ava in their dilemmas.”
“Fine,” said Rose with a frown. “I’m having two cookies then.” She stormed off towards the kitchen before anyone could argue with her cookie logic.
When Rose was safely beyond hearing range, Avera addressed Nathan and Ava. “What is going on this time?”
Nathan handed Avera the note.
Reading the note, Avera immediately realized the implications. When they had received the first note from Duke Evollan, they only told the king and a few other select people. Almost all told of the contents of the letter were family or extremely well-trusted family friends. The spy was someone she knew very well. Avera sat down with Nathan and Ava. “Well, this is troubling.”
Nathan nodded, “I sent a reply saying that I would do what I could to help him and his friend. That whatever grudge I have with him will have to wait until after King Ganus is dealt with.”
Avera and Ava both looked at Nathan in shock. Nathan had been steadfast in his hatred of the duke. The change in heart was completely unexpected. She looked at Nathan questioningly.
Nathan could hear Ava’s thoughts in his head and the look on Aunt Avera’s face matched the shock he got from Ava’s thoughts. “I know I’ve said I would hunt him down, but Duke Evollan, as evil and horrible as he is, is now our ally. And someone we trust is the spy so I need to let go of my hate before more people I care for get hurt. Everything in me agrees with the duke’s comment that King Ganus will keep trying.”
“I think you are making a very brave and wise decision, Nathan,” said Avera. “It is hard to let go of hate and anger. And as much as I dread the idea of finding out someone I have known my whole life is a traitor, we must find out who he is. If Duke Evollan can help, I will forget his part in my sister’s death.” For now, added Avera silently. There would be a day when Duke Evollan would have to account for his sins, but now was not the time.
Ava grabbed Nathan’s hand, “Nathan, I have just as much reason as you to hate the duke. I lost my parents, and what happened when we were his captives will never be forgotten, but for the sake of everyone in Balta I will also give up my grudge against the duke. We can’t let King Ganus win.” Ava had tears in her eyes as she spoke. The memories still hurt. “No matter what, we have to protect the ones we love, and if that means giving help to a monster like Duke Evollan, then that is what we will do.”
Nathan hugged Ava and held her close, it was hard to give up that hate and it would be incredibly hard to see the duke and not want to run him though with one of his daggers. However, Ava and Avera were right. It was a sacrifice worth making.
They would allow Duke Evollan safe haven in Balta.
11
Pailtar
THE STUDENTS ALL MET in the school gym. Each group stood huddled together as they waited to find out what their task would be. Aldwin, having been through the process a few times was relaxed and cheerful. He quickly became the de facto leader of their group.
“So I am kind of an all-round thief,” said Aldwin, “decent at everything but not exceptional, I do a lot of cons, so if there is talking to be done, I’m your man. I’ve seen Kiana’s grades; she is probably the best at sneak, picking, and entering, but her magic sucks. Sorry, Kiana, no offense meant.”
“None taken, my magic does suck,” confirmed Kiana.
Aspen, the older of the two Wentworth children, spoke up, “I’m a pretty decent pickpocket and a good sneak. I have acceptable illusion skills. Osmond here is just learning most of the basics, but he does have strong telekinesis.”
Aldwin clapped his hands together, smiling brightly, “Excellent. It sounds like we have a well-rounded team. I am sure we shall do well together.”
Kiana was relieved. Aldwin’s positive nature was infectious. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.
As they stood together discussing their skills, three men walked into the gym, Keyon Upton, Duncan Reed, and a third man that Kiana did not recognize.
As the men walked into the room the third man spoke. “Could I have your attention please! My name is Morvin Springfield; and this is Keyon Upton and Duncan Reed. We are here as representatives of the Guild. Each of us will be taking a group and explaining your task. Now just to remind you, how you perform today will greatly influence whether you are accepted into the Guild or not. Legacies, or course, will be allowed first-year status regardless of outcome, but if a legacy performs badly they will not be given the customary two choices of course. Their courses will be chosen for them. So all of you have great incentive to do well today,” said Morvin.
Oh man, not getting to choose my own classes would suck, thought Kiana. She would do her best to make sure that didn’t happen.
With the brief introduction over, Keyon walked over to their group. “Aldwin, Kiana. Good to see you.” Keyon then gave Aspen and Osmond a nod. “Okay, well first things, first; your task is to break into the Trollope vault.”
Kiana watched as Aldwin’s smile momentarily disappeared. Whatever the Trollope vault was, it wasn’t good.
“Any questions?” asked Keyon.
Aldwin regrouped and regained his focus. He replied “What is the time frame?”
“You have until sunrise tomorrow.”
“Okay then, thank you, Keyon that should be all.”
Keyon nodded and left them to think things over.
“Trollope vault?” questioned Aspen. She too had noticed the way Aldwin went pale at the mention of the mission.
“Trollope estates, to the south of the city, it is an older castle owned by the Goodwin family. The Goodwin family were among the original members of the Thieves’ Guild in Pailtar. It is said by some that they have better security than any royal family in Mithbea. Every few years some unlucky group of students gets the pleasure of testing their security for them. I was part of a group that tried to break in as our task … we barely m
ade it past the fences before we were caught. Two of our group ended up in the infirmary.”
“What did you do wrong?” asked Kiana. Breaking in to secure areas was her area of expertise in this group, they would be relying on her a lot for this mission.
“Dogs, we didn’t account for guard dogs. They sniffed us out within minutes. Vicious creatures, no bark all bite.”
Great, thought Kiana. Guard dogs are a thief’s worse nightmare. Trained attack dogs that didn’t bark were even worse. “Okay, dogs are tricky, but doable. What else do you know about the security?”
“Where do I start … okay, the castle outer walls are imbued with magic, it is impossible to climb them. Rotating highly-trained guards, a wizard, and if you get past all that, the room with the vault in it has a troll.”
Kiana laughed, “Ha ha, for a second there I thought you said troll.”
Aldwin gave her a deadly serious look, “I did, and there is.”
“Oh,” replied Kiana. She didn’t know there were any trolls in Mithbea. She thought trolls were mythical creatures only found in the mysterious Isles to the west. “Okay, trolls it is.”
“Before I get totally distracted by the prospect of getting eaten by a troll, how do you know Keyon, Kiana?” asked Aldwin.
“Old friend of my mother’s,” replied Kiana, “that reminds me, she says to say hello.”
Aldwin frowned, “Your mother isn’t Lilliana Clairmont is she?”
Kiana nodded, “Yes, she said she knew you from when she was doing her tests.”
Aldwin nodded, “Yes, lovely woman your mother. I didn’t put two and two together because I knew her before she married your father, she wasn’t a Clairmont yet. Well, that explains why we get the castle.”
Kiana was afraid something like this might happen. The Guild was giving her another challenging task because of her mother’s rocky history with the Guild. “Is it because of me?” she asked Aldwin.
“No, not really, I mean sure, they gave us a challenging test, and it was likely because some in the Guild would be happy to see you fail. But that said, we are not the first group to be given the castle as a task. Besides, if you are half as good a thief as your mother, we shall do well.”
Siege of Pailtar Page 7